-TheWire.in The Supreme Court order on Arnab Goswami does nothing if the same concern is not extended in the case of hundreds of citizens who have been jailed under various politically motivated cases. The Supreme Court’s decision to grant interim bail to Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami has led to sharp reactions. Among people who identify themselves as liberals, there are three broad strands of thinking. First, there are those who feel that...

-The Hindu * What has the RBI cautioned about GDP decline amid the pandemic, and what lies ahead? The story so far: The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) latest monthly bulletin features an article by an official at its Monetary Policy Department titled ‘An Economic Activity Index for India’, where the author has, in a ‘nowcast’ (a forecast that estimates the outcome of a near-term event), projected that India’s GDP (Gross Domestic...

-The Hindu They propose to provide the unorganised SECtor, gig and platform workers access to social SECurity benefits through a government portal. The Union Labour and Employment Ministry has notified the draft rules under the Code on Social SECurity, 2020, which propose to provide the unorganised SECtor, gig and platform workers access to social SECurity benefits through a government portal. The Ministry notified the draft rules on November 13 and sought suggestions and...

-The Indian Express Latest RBI bulletin projects contraction for a SECond conSECutive quarter, which means the economy is in a ‘technical recession’. What does it mean, and how is it different from a ‘recession’ and a ‘recessionary phase’? In its latest monthly bulletin — for November — the Reserve Bank of India has dedicated a chapter on the “State of the economy”. The idea is to provide a monthly snapshot of some...

-Down to Earth The use of synthetic chemicals for agriculture was halted completely in 2005 by the Union territory Lakshadweep, after Sikkim, is on its way to become 100 per cent organic. The Union territory’s agriculture department had submitted a proposal to the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, seeking to declare its entire 32 square kilometre geographical land area as organic. The proposal was approved October 26, 2020 after receiving required certifications...